Fire Won't Fade
by fieryxgirl
Summary: AU: Robb attacks King's Landing in alliance with Stannis Baratheon. Mainly Sansa POV, but includes Sansa, Arya, Jon, Robb and the North.
1. Sansa I

_**Author's Note**  
_

_****Please review if you read, i'm not sure if I want to continue this story, so let me know what you think :) thank you!_

* * *

_Steel clashed on steel, the howls of a great wolf eerily beckoning in the darkness. The man with autumn hair stood taller than his foe, fought more ferociously, and with that had the upper hand. The smaller man was fast and agile, but was still no match for his opponent. Thunder raged in the sky and eagles called, but the battle kept on. It did not change anything. Lightning crashed over the trees, and for a moment, all could be seen. The blood of fallen soldiers, men, brothers, fathers, husbands. The wolf howled once more, searching the battlefield. All too soon, the lighting crashed nearby, and the autumn haired man with the upper hand faltered, taken off guard. _

_His foe swiped viciously with his sword, taken his chance to beat his foe while he was not looking, eyes focussed on the fire which had begun in the trees. The skies emptied, but the fire did not relent, did not yield to the water which was pouring. The second man drove his sword into the man's stomach, driving it through and out the other side of his body. He made no sound, his blue eyes open with shock and pain, but he did not cry out as he fell._

Sansa's eyes blinked open, her chest heaving as she willed herself to bring in more and more air. _Robb _she thought, panic stricken. Robb could not die- he was King of the North, as he should be. I want to go home with Robb, to be at Winterfell. Robb cannot go, what I have seen cannot be true. I cannot tell anyone of this, Joffrey would only gloat all the more.

Climbing out of bed, Sansa walked to her wardrobe, looking for her blue and silver gown that would remind her of her family. She pulled it out, loosening the laces at the back as she went. Her father had given her dress to her on her last name day outside of King's Landing, and thankfully, it still fitted her. When she had received it, it had been much too large for her, and it was still a bit loose on her now. She hoped she would not grow out of it any time soon. It was the easiest way for her to be reminded of her home and her family without being seen as 'honouring the traitors'.

_My family are not traitors; they are true, truer than the Lannisters or the Baratheons- or what I know of them anyway._

Sansa left her bedchamber without breaking her fast, not caring for anything from the capital. She longed for her home, the winter and the snow, furs and rugs and the heating of the hot springs. Her brothers Robb and Jon, Bran and Rickon, even her sister Arya. She would have done anything to see them all again. Even Theon would be a welcome sight to see.

Hopefully nobody would come looking for her while she was out, she was not in the mood for Lannisters, not the King or the Queen, and they would not understand. She was going to the Gods wood, and hardly anyone still took the old gods. She did not know which Gods to believe, they all seemed the same, the old and the seven, but her father and her siblings all took the old gods, and that proved to be another reminder of her beloved home. _Winterfell. _She could be alone.

Tears pricked in her eyes, but she blinked them back, trying to hold on until she was out of the castle. Thankfully, it was too early in the morning for the entire household to be up and about, so she did not see anyone of importance, only guards and gold cloaks, who did not question the King's betrothed.

Reaching the common oak tree in the centre of the woods, Sansa slumped to her knees on the floor of the forest. She began a silent prayer to the Gods, prayers for her health and her safety, to be kept out of Joffrey's reach for as long as possible,

She begged out loud for her eldest brother Robb's life, _Gods protect him, help him win this war. Come knocking on the castle gates; take me away from this forsaken waste. Take me home, and bring all our brothers and sisters. _

She remembered her brothers who had been declared missing, Bran and Rickon, Jon at the wall, Robb fighting a war for the North. She prayed to the Gods to keep them safe, to save them all from the clutches of the oppressors, keep them away from the Lannisters, away from all the Kings, true and false. Help my father's soul in the after life, do not allow my lady mother to fall to harm. Even Arya, who I always fought with. I love her, and I miss her. I wish I had known that last time I saw her, and Gods, if she is alive, do not let anyone other than a Stark find her. To the young wolf, the King in the North, my elder brother. _Protect my family, and bring us together again._


	2. Robb I

**Authors note**

Sorry it took me so long to update, I have another story on the go at the moment which I have been focussing on. I also haven't had much inspiration, but I thought it due time to post a new chapter :) I hope you enjoy!

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Robb Stark walked calmly to a chamber high in the tower at Dragon stone. Another King of his own right awaited him inside.

The young wolf entered after knocking, and there were no mentions of 'your grace' here; they were Kings of their own, but titles did not matter to them.

"Robb Stark, it is good to see you well"

"And you, Stannis." "I take it we are still under the same agreement?"

"Stark, you will have your throne and your crown. You will have the North if you help me win the Iron Throne."

"The Iron Throne is rightfully yours, and I will help you win it" declared Robb.

"Good. My troops set sail to Kings Landing in a week. Have you any ships?"

Robb Stark shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"I have no ships; my troops are a force of Land alone."

"How do you plan to proceed, young wolf?" questioned Stannis

"I have many maps of the City from my time on the small council, and my troops plan to land near of one the gates before engaging the Lannisters in hand to hand combat on the shore." Continued the older man.

Robb considered the question for a few minutes before he answered.

"Then my soldiers must sneak into the city while their troops and city guard are preoccupied. They will be too busy fighting you to protect themselves from us, and we will storm the city. "

"You have good strategy, Robb Stark. What is your motive?" asked Stannis, sounding slightly suspicious of the younger man's reasoning.

"Your troops will force your way into the city, as will mine. We will storm the castle, and I will have them bring Sansa to me. She is my sister, and I owe her that protection. Otherwise, she is to marry Joffrey which I cannot allow to happen."

"This is for your sister?" asked Stannis, shock creeping onto his face of stone, not expecting his reasoning to be for his younger sister.

"They have kept her captive for too long, and she does not deserve this fate. The throne will be handed over to you, rightful King of the realm" declared Robb

"I must say, I am none to pleased about it being 6 kingdoms instead of seven, but it is a necessary sacrifice to gain the Iron Throne. I trust you will remain in alliance with the realm after the war is won? We will not be enemies?" demanded Stannis

"The North will be mine, but there will be no hatred between us. It will be better for all; you cannot hope to control the North, they will never bow to the Iron Throne again, not after this war. Only a Stark could truly hold the North, and winter is coming."

"Must you Starks always remind us of that? Very well then. In 11 days, we will land at the Capital 2 hours after dark. Upon seeing our ships arriving, it is most like all the troops will be sent to meet us. I will send empty ships as a decoy to the mud gate, whilst the true fleet will land elsewhere. After an hour, your troops must march through the city gates."

"3 hours after dark, my troops will enter the city." Confirmed Robb

"If my troops should find the royals first, what would you have me do?"

"You must guard them heavily, for I wish to take the King's head myself"

"Then we are understood." Robb nodded to Stannis.

"Robb, if I am defeated, do not continue. You must withdraw and rebuild your strength, for the fight can be resumed another day, but not if you are all defeated. You must continue the fight against the Iron Throne yourself If I cannot. Destroy the Lannisters."

Robb nodded before answering the true King.

"Then I will see you again, Stannis. I will see you in eleven days."

The King of the North turned on his heel and left the chamber.


	3. Sansa II

Disclaimer: ASOIAF belongs to George R R Martin, not me!

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Septons and Septas were rushing madly around the Sept, trying to calm down the people and leading them in the singing. Sansa was sitting on one of the benches near the middle of the Sept, keeping to herself. There had been a sighting of a large fleet of ships out on the bay, feared to be Stannis' fleet. The ships were not marked, but who else could it have been? The Lannister army was being summoned, as well as the entirety of the City Guard and any other nearby armies loyal to the Crown. The majority of such armies were not in the Crown lands, and those in the Wester lands were too far away to be called in at such short notice, and the King would have to manage the battle with the troops he had.

Many women prayed for the city to be kept safe and Stannis' armies to be kept out, but Sansa prayed that Stannis would sack the city, that he would force his way in and rescue her. It was not like; the army would put up a good fight, and even then he would probably not even care about her; the sister of a self-declared King whom he had never spoken to, one who never planned to kneel to him should he win the Iron Throne. A girl could dream.

Sansa prayed to be rescued, she prayed for her father's soul, her mother's safety, for Robb, for little lost Bran and Rickon, even for Arya and Jon, the siblings she never really bonded with. She prayed Joffrey would be killed.

* * *

Flames flickered menacingly on the sides of the throne room as people of all ages rushed around. Stannis' fleet approached the city, and every soldier and guard had been called to defend them. _Let him come, _thought Sansa. _Perhaps he would take me away. _All the ladies of the court had been summoned to the Queen's Ballroom, Sansa included. But first, she had to meet Joffrey, to farewell him in the Throne Room. She wished he would not return from the battle, but she knew deep in her heart that he would. He was nowhere near brave enough to go into the vanguard, and even if he wanted to, Cersei would not allow him that. She knew she should be fearful of what may happen, the threat of a fallen city loomed over their heads. She was not afraid; no death could be worse than her imprisonment with the Lannisters, her impending marriage to Joffrey.

Her first moon's blood was upon her, and she hoped that if any soldiers found her, she would not be harmed. It was her only protection against men, for courtesy could only be used in a battle of words and not swords.

Joffrey chose that moment to come striding into the Throne Room.

"Sansa! Sansa, here!" _He calls me as if calling a dog, _she thought.

"My new blade, Heart eater."

It had a golden lion on the pommel, set with rubies, _Lannister red._  
"It is beautifully wrought, Your Grace" She had not lied; it was beautiful, but not something she would be pleased to see again.

"Bless my steel with a kiss." He demanded. Sansa hesitated a moment, something Joffrey did not missed.

"Go on, kiss it." Repeated the boy King.

Sansa bent and pressed her lips to the cold metal. _I would rather kiss Tyrion's blade than kiss Joffrey, _she thought.

"You will kiss it again when I return, and you will taste my uncle's blood" he promised, speaking of Stannis.

Joffrey turned to follow a white cloak out of the throne room.

She prayed that would be the last of Joffrey, that Stannis would kill him. She knew he would return, he would come back and she would be forced to lie with him. The thought disgusted her, but she could not seem to force it from her mind.

* * *

Sansa could not say how much time had passed, but she knew it had grown well past dark since she had gone to the Queen's ballroom. The Queen had given Sansa a seat of honour on her right hand, as Joffrey's betrothed, but the Queen was yet to join them in her own ballroom. She saw Ser Ilyn standing in the shadows in a corner of the hall, and asked one of the gold cloaks what he was doing there. The guard ignored her, simply staring straight ahead as always.

A royal steward called out, announcing the arrival of the Queen: " All rise for Her Grace, Cersei of House Lannister, Queen Regent and protector of the Realm".

All the highborn ladies along the dais rose to greet the Queen, though Sansa wished she had never arrived.

The Queen took her seat at the centre of the long table. Her long blonde curls swept down her back, and she was dressed in a gown of brilliant white. The white made her think of the snows at Winterfell, a glistening sight which heralded only beauty for a Stark.

"Your grace" she curtsied when the Queen looked toward her.

"Sansa my dear. You look pale. Does your flower still bloom?"

"Yes, your grace." She blushed

"If this city should fall, that may be your only protection, keep that in mind"

Sansa knew that if the city were sacked, soldiers who wanted flesh over coin would rape woman, but she had hoped her status as a highborn lady of the court would protect her. She had hardly thought of it, her mind focussed on the rescue she dreamt of every night. If Robb would not come for her, she wished that at least Stannis would take her away from the Lannisters.

She had been to pray in the Sept of Baelor, which she had once thought to be the most beautiful building in the world. Not since her father's death, and never again. She prayed to the mother, to the warrior and she had prayed for her rescue. She had even stolen some time to go and pray to her father's Gods in the gods wood, though she had been careful to be inconspicuous about her destination upon leaving the Red Keep.

* * *

When Ser Lancel had come to tell them that they feared the battle lost, Sansa felt the breath hitch in her own throat, her heart beat faster from anticipation and excitement. She knew that if Stannis came for the city, she would either be killed at the will of Cersei, or taken by an army. She could not say who she feared most, but if she went with Stannis, at least she would not be in the grips of Lannisters any longer.

The Queen had reacted by ordering them to bring her son back into the castle, to take him to Maegor's hold fast. Lancel had tried to refuse her, and it only caused her to behave with the prowess of a Queen. She had ordered the white cloaks to bring Joffrey back at all costs. They had scrambled, urgent to avoid her wrath. The Queen had swiftly left the hall after that, and had not been seen since.

All the women inside had become frightened after that, so Sansa took it upon herself to subdue them. She stood up atop the dais, calling for quiet.

"They will not get in! There are soldiers, spikes, moats and walls between us!" She called out, but in her heart, she wished they would not hold.

One woman called out "Has Stannis gotten in?", desperation heavy in her voice.

"Stannis and his armies have not gotten in, and they will not" She responded, trying to calm them down, but her own nerves threatened to spill over.

She began to lead them in a hymn, a hymn to the seven. She would rather pray to her fathers Gods, but these people did not follow the old Gods so this would have to do.

_Gentle Mother, font of mercy_

_Save our sons from war we pray_

_Stay the swords and stay the arrows_

_Let them know a better day_

_Gentle Mother, strength of women, _

_Help our daughters through this fray_

_Soothe the wrath and tame the fury_

_Teach us all a kinder way_

Ladies all through the ballroom took up the song, continuing even when her own voice dropped out. She stepped back and off the dais, and Dontos was at her side.

"Go back to your room, Sansa."

"I can't, this is my place." _Someone will come for me, _she thought. _But who will it be? Stannis or Ser Ilyn, ready to give my head to the Queen?_

__"Go" he repeated

She did not protest again, and walked for the door. The Queen would not return tonight, and hopefully nobody would see her leave.

Sansa was breathless by the time she reached her chamber. It was dark as night but she would not dare light more than one candle. She opened the curtains and saw the devastation below. The riverbanks were covered in flames and steel, shouts and cries. It was definitely the battle of battles; if the city were to be taken, it would be tonight, but Sansa feared it would never fall. She could not make out who was winning, but she prayed that it was Stannis.

* * *

She could not say how long she spent in a corner clutching her knees to her chest in the darkness. Fear shook through her like she was a leaf, and she prayed constantly that Ser Ilyn or the Queen would not come for her.

When her doors were eventually flung open, she had to grasp her hand to her mouth to keep from crying out. She huddled in closer, trying desperately not to give away her position. It was no use, four men spotted her within moments and she was heaved off the ground.

"Sansa Stark." Stated the first man, not a question but hardly a greeting.

These men wore no cloaks, bore no sigils, and Sansa had no means of identifying them.

She shut her eyes as she was dragged from her room, saying a silent prayer to the Gods to keep her safe. She did not know where these men were taking her, but she could only presume it was to the Queen, to Ser Ilyn. Her noble birth would not keep her head on her shoulders, not now that it seemed she was deserting, a traitor like her father.

They led her through the empty castle, through staircases and halls, until eventually they were at the castle gates. 2 gold cloaks alone manned it, the only men the Lannisters could spare from the main fight. The city watch tried to stop the group from passing through, but failed. The fight was short, ending with the two gold cloaks slain and on the ground. Her captors were clearly well trained, but she could only wonder who they were sworn to.

* * *

Eventually they reached the Kings wood, and Sansa knew she had truly left the City. She had been marched out here in silence, and for a long time she had been on foot. Here in the forest, they came to a clearing where 5 horses were tethered. Clearly, these men had planned ahead. They rode throughout the night, and Sansa quickly grew weary and hungry.

They rode in silence, and though it irked Sansa, she did not know what to say, so she kept to herself.

Just before dawn, they reached a clearing in the middle of the forest where the trees grew scarce. Here was a small camp of around 10 black tents and a few fires scattered on the floor of the forest.

_Who are these people? Where are they taking me? These are not Stannis' men._

Sansa was led to the middle tent of the group, and told by the unmarked men that they would guard the outside, but she could not leave.

She heard the tent flaps rustle, and she turned around.

_Robb. _She thought for a fleeting moment. _It cannot be. _

She felt strong arms wrap her up, lifting her feet from the ground. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, not wanting to let go.

Her feet found the ground again, and she looked up to confirm the identity of the man before her.

_It was, it was, it was. It was Robb!_

"Robb!" She cried.

"I have missed you, my brother" Warm tears began to fall from her cheeks.

"Sansa, we thought you gone forever!" a huge smile spread across the King's face.

"How did you get out?" asked Sansa curiously

"Stannis told me to go; he was inside the castle and his army could take the Iron Throne alone. Not all of my troops were in the city, I left some outside in case. The evacuation was simple; they hardly realised they had two armies upon them. We lost around 200 men but other than that we remain strong"

"Robb, I am so sorry about Joffrey. I am sorry I gave up on the North to be a princess or a queen." That did not even begin to cover everything she was sorry for, but she hoped Robb would understand her.

"It is not your fault, Sansa. Do not blame yourself, sister. Regardless, you are a princess of Winterfell now."

_A princess of Winterfell, in my own right. It sounded ever so sweet._

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__**Authors Note**

****I hope you enjoy this chapter, I did enjoy writing it! It was a bit tricky to think about how it would all work, but I hope I covered it all! Let me know what you think :)


	4. Arya I

Sorry it took so long for this update, and I know it's not very lengthy. I needed to get the story moving along, so I hope you enjoy this little snippet of Arya and Gendry!

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Dawn pressed under Arya's eyelids, and she took it as the signal to wake up. Flexing her fingers, she began to thaw them out. Under her cheek was Gendry's chest, his breathing soft and steady. She pulled the thick covers off her, and was glad they had stolen them before they went north. The famous Stark words heralded the beginning of winter, and winter came for the north faster than ever. They had passed Winterfell already, though they had not seen it. The forest had become less green and more white, and Arya knew.

They were less than two days away, and there was absolutely no time to waste. Months had passed them by, and though they had been used wisely, Arya did not want to wait any longer. Gendry had not stirred, so she repositioned herself to be sitting directly over his chest. His body took a few seconds to respond to the pressure, but when he came to, he grunted and rolled her off him.

Breaking their fast quickly on some stale bread, Arya was anxious to get going. Gendry took a while to fully awaken as usual, and he did not refrain from complaining.

"Why is the North so damn cold?" He was a capital child, born and raised in the crown lands. Arya was a stark contrast to that, born and raised in the North. It was in her blood, and she was indifferent to snow and cold winds.

"Shut up, Gendry." She snapped, "We need to get going." She longed for a roof over her head, a bed and some warmth. She had been out in the cold for too long, and was desperate to end that.

"As m'lady commands" he joked.

His comment was met with a stern glare. She was in no mood for japes, she wanted to go.

"Hurry up, stupid! If we get on with it quickly, we could be there by night fall on the morrow!" she told Gendry.

Eventually, they were both on horses, riding into the horizon. Arya could not wait until they were there, until she could stop riding all day every day.


	5. Robb II

The journey back to Winterfell along the King's road was long and tedious, and Robb soon grew bored of the saddle. His horse was good natured and obedient, but not his trusted war horse. The week they had spent camped near the capital felt like an age away now, and he found himself longing for it, though he would not have his sister with him. _One of them at least._

The last time he had seen Stannis, it was inside the Red Keep, and Stannis had assured him that his men were easily able to take the Iron Throne. The lack of word from him made Robb uneasy, but he reassured himself that it was because as the new King, Stannis would like be extremy busy.

Once the party reached winterfell, it would be upon them to restore it to all its former glory after Theon and his treacherous Iron Islanders had taken it. With the number of able bodied men at his disposal, the task at hand should not be so difficult. Theon had not many men with him now and would be easy to overpower, and any damage done would be fixed too. _Rebuilding._

Betrayal still rang in his ears from the man he had once considered a brother, but a good man could not dwell on dead brothers if he had some left in the same world. He owed them a duty, and he'd vowed to the Gods that he would unite them all again. Even if it was the last thing he would ever manage, he _would _unite his family. Half of them were already together, him and Sansa and his mother, but not Arya or Bran or Rickon. Maybe he'd even see Jon again. He didn't know what would happen, nobody could, but family was family.

Since he had been reunited with Sansa, they had not spoken much. She was technically still betrothed to Joffrey, in the sight of the seven. But in the sight of Robb's gods and Sansa's gods, no such betrothal was ever made. _Stannis would have killed the King born of incest, and thus the betrothal will be ended one way or another. _Sansa didn't want to speak of her time in King's Landing, and Robb did not want to pressure her into speaking of such a traumatic experience. He knew the truth would be told eventually, and so he would wait. All it would do was anger him further, an unwise choice, because _the North remembers, and the North takes it's vengeance. _

That was his plan; march back to Winterfell, execute Theon Greyjoy for treason to his King, evict any remaining iron born and rebuild. He would reinstate Winterfell to it's former glory, and he would no longer be the King who lost the North.

They were still many moons away from their destination, as he had his entire army to relocate from King's Landing, all the way across the realm and the neck, back to Winterfell. But they would persevere as they always did, and his men would be like to enjoy the rest, blood thirsty as many of them were. Of course, it would not give opportunity for excessive rest; there would be rest indeed, but it was no excuse for the diminishing of skills. They would train hard, him included, but there would be time to recuperate from injury. A chance to rest before the rebuilding of Winterfell.

He knew that upon his return to the North, he would close the Neck, starting with the Reeds at Grey Water Watch. Moat Cailin would be heavily fortified, and no army would be able to cross into the Kingdom of the North, bar his own. He would march the very last of his men _home, _and he would become King, properly this time. Peace would be known to the Kingdom's, with Stannis as the king, his rightful position, and the Lannisters would be finished. He might have to send men to crush the Greyjoy rebellion, but as part of the Kingdom of the Iron Throne, that was Stannis' responsibility, and not Robb's. _  
_

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**Author's Note**

I must apologise for the length of time in which it has taken for me to update. I hope you like this chapter, let me know your thoughts.


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